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Embassy warns of possible attacks on Americans in Saudi Arabia

By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

"Credible information" leads embassy to urge caution to U.S. citizens in al-Qasim

Neither the timing nor the method of the potential attack is known

(CNN) -- U.S. embassy and consulate officials are warning Americans working and living in Saudi Arabia that they could become targets of an extremist attack, according to a message posted on the embassy website.

The embassy in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, says it has "received credible information that an unidentified extremist(s) ... may be planning to attack Westerners working and living in al-Qasim."

Al-Qasim province, northwest of the capital, is considered the heartland of the conservative Islamic Wahhabi doctrine.

The embassy message urges U.S. citizens living in the region "to exercise prudence and enhanced security awareness at all times," noting that the "timing and method of potential attacks are currently unknown."